Musk swoops in to pay TSA workers as government shutdown bleeds US airports dry

WASHINGTON, DC: Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Saturday, March 21, offered to pay the salaries of Transportation Security Administration employees as the partial US government shutdown dragged into another week, in a dramatic intervention that underscored the mounting strain on airport operations across the country.

“I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns.

Legal questions shadow salary offer

It remains unclear how such an arrangement would work in practice, or whether it would even be legal, as federal law generally bars government employees from receiving outside compensation connected to their official duties.

TSA workers are now at risk of missing their second full paycheck next week as lawmakers remain deadlocked over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, with no breakthrough in sight.

Congress remains split over DHS funding

The standoff has largely turned on disputes over immigration enforcement. Democrats have refused to back any funding bill that does not include broad changes to operations within Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

The White House has offered limited concessions in recent days, including an agreement to expand the use of body-worn cameras and to restrict immigration enforcement actions around so-called sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals.

Republicans, however, have rejected other Democratic demands, including a ban on ICE officers and CBP agents wearing masks and a requirement that agents obtain judicial warrants before entering private property instead of relying on administrative warrants.

GOP lawmakers have also pushed back against Democratic efforts to secure funding for the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Coast Guard, while excluding immigration agencies from the package.

Airport staffing shortages worsen

The shutdown is increasingly affecting air travel, with staffing shortages contributing to long security lines and sparking concerns that some smaller airports may have to suspend operations if the funding lapse continues.

Officials say a growing number of TSA employees are calling in sick or leaving their jobs altogether, with financial hardship cited as the main reason.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 360 TSA officers have left the agency since the shutdown began in mid-February. The administration also said callout rates earlier this week had risen above 50%.

Some airports are already feeling the pressure. Philadelphia International Airport has closed terminal checkpoints because of staffing shortages, while senior TSA officials have warned that more disruptions are likely with each passing day.